There's been a lot of controversy about President Barack Obama's plan to give a speech to the nation's public (only public) schoolchildren on September 8 (the Tuesday after Labor Day), a controversy Caleb Howe comprehensively summarizes here. The problem isn't the President giving a pro-education message to the nation's kids, something that's part of any president's job; the problem is the specter of enlisting of public school teachers, already a core interest group supporting Obama, in indoctrinating kids in his agenda. The conservative uproar over the Department of Education's proposed materials for the speech seems to have already scored a victory in forcing the Administration to scale back its plans.

But I'm from New York. When I mentioned this speech to my wife, her immediate reaction was that Obama wasn't looking at the calendar: the New York City schools, public and private, aren't even in session yet the day after Labor Day. Obama's effort to roll this into a massive PR blitz with the following day's health care speech to a joint session of Congress will fail in my neck of the woods because nobody paid attention to the school calendar.

I think that it is your civic duty to demand that your kids' school open that day & take the White House feed.

The Words of The Leader are too important to be blocked by people like school administrators who can't gear up for something this important.

Where's Dean Swift when we need him?

Posted by: From Inwood at
September 3, 2009 7:13 AM

Isn't this what Castro does?

Posted by: dch at
September 3, 2009 8:52 AM

As someone who was raised in a family of educators, when I looked at some of the suggestions for teachers and students that are going to be presented, I just laughed. They are either things that teachers are already doing, or they are a waste of time. I mean - asking teachers to write letters to themselves or the president? It's just crazy.

If the Department of Education is busy doing this kind of fluff, they might as well eliminate it. Just give federal money for education in block grants to the states. First it was "No Child Left Untested," and now this.

Posted by: MVH at
September 3, 2009 9:54 AM

Chicago Public Schools don't start till next week, either. To name a school system even closer to this White House.

Posted by: Mike G at
September 3, 2009 10:35 AM

For the record, many of the school districts here around Minneapolis and St. Paul have already started. With Labor Day falling so late this year, a number of them moved to a September 1 start date.

Posted by: Timothy Taylor at
September 3, 2009 10:43 AM

School has been "in" in most of the South for about three weeks now. So the Obamabots don't know when school starts in either the states where they did win, or in the states where they didn't win.

The country's in the very best of hands.

Posted by: Buck Futt at
September 3, 2009 10:44 AM

My children's diverse school district went back to school on August 10. But we are in the south, represented by a freshman Blue Dog, so we are ignored until two weeks before election day.

We are demanding that the republican candidate for congress be allowed to offer a rebuttal to the President's filibuster. Parents will be playing Pink Floyd's Brick in the Wall, chanting Teacher, Leave those kids alone.

We ELECT Representatives to vote OUR views in CONGRESS. We don't need the DNC or RNC to use OUR money to BUY votes.

Hold YOUR OWN Town Hall meetings. Don't invite the incumbent, but invite their opposition.

Hold a citizen�s PERFORMANCE REVIEW of your elected officials. Don't stop at Federal Level - include State and Local officials as well.
You get a performance appraisal at work - why not Congress, State and Local officials as well.

It's time loudmouth LIBERAL activists are pushed off the stage. Let REAL CITIZENS speak for themselves.

Cancel all media subscriptions until 2010 election is over. That will insure a more fair election.

It will help eliminate those who are hurting GDP growth and prosperity for the middle class.

Posted by: mad-as-H at
September 3, 2009 11:00 AM

Obama probably scheduled this based on when his girls' PRIVATE SCHOOL goes back. You know, the private school that the Democrats yanked from poor Washington D.C. kids.

Posted by: rpvanderhoek at
September 3, 2009 11:03 AM

I hope all conservative/independent parents just keep their kids home that day.

Posted by: higgins at
September 3, 2009 11:21 AM

First zillions of people without healthcare and now billions of kids with no school to go to when the Master ofthe Universe reveals all...the horror!

Posted by: carl at
September 3, 2009 11:21 AM

Dis here could be one a dem Town-Hall Meetins, but 4 kidz! And who can screech louder than kidz?

Posted by: Mick McMick at
September 3, 2009 11:22 AM

"the President giving a pro-education message to the nation's kids, something that's part of any president's job"

Giving pro-education messages to the nation's kids has NEVER been part of any US President's job!

Posted by: Dougger at
September 3, 2009 11:28 AM

He could come down here to Mississippi, public started on August 3rd and we could use some fresh ideas.

Posted by: MPK at
September 3, 2009 11:44 AM

In our very liberal Northern California district, school started Aug 25.

Posted by: Tan at
September 3, 2009 12:03 PM

So.

No problem.

California, Massachusetts and New York are all already properly indoctrinated.

Posted by: Larry Sheldon at
September 3, 2009 12:14 PM

Sidwell Friends School starts on Sept. 8.

Posted by: DF at
September 3, 2009 12:39 PM

Narcissism 101.

From the Dept of Education worksheet: "Teachers can build background knowledge about the President of the United States and his speech by reading books about presidents and Barack Obama."

Obama is jumping the gun. Presidents should be part of education after their terms are over, as entries in history textbooks, when there is something to write about their presidencies.

The omnipresence of our president is disturbing.

What did Michelle Obama say? "Barack will never allow you to go back to your lives as usual, uninvolved, uninformed."

So we're stuck with Barack the Nag-in-Chief. Community activism holds the highest office in the land.

If this were REALLY baseball, we would PULL HIM OUT OF THE GAME AND SEND HIM HOME TO HIS MOMMY and tell her

"WE DON'T WANT YOUR CRAZY KID TAKING HIS PANTS OFF AND POOPING ON HOME PLATE EVERY GAME!"

Posted by: Joe Plumbers 4th cousin at
September 3, 2009 2:57 PM

The world's smartest administration.

I can understand their not knowing about the L.A. schools - after all, that's way out in California, far from the sunshine of the beltway, and besides, Boxer and Feinstein have things well under control out there.

My guess is Obama was going by the Sidwell Friends school calendar. Damn those public school teacher's union work rules!

Posted by: John at
September 3, 2009 4:12 PM

Lets play make believe, and pretend for a moment that it wasn't on this day, and was months later Crank. Do you think that the reaction would be different, or the same?

I forgot, we're talking about the party of crazy right now. And we no longer have to respect the office or the man, which I wish I knew a few years ago! I like the birther influx Crank, haven't seen them in a while.

"public (only public) schoolchildren"
Nope, some private schools are showing it too. And some public districts are not, either from a time problem or technical issues. Big FAIL there Crank.

"Giving pro-education messages to the nation's kids has NEVER been part of any US President's job!"

Yawn. Quick, someone get me Newt's defense of the first President Bush's speech to kids. Or the text of when Reagan did it - for extra laughs, read the text of Reagan's questions.

Yeah, Ronaldo Maximus never did anything like this. The Right now has it's moonbats.

Posted by: DopyRepublican at
September 3, 2009 6:15 PM

I just LOVE it when people like Dave invoke Orwell when it comes to a Reepub and then reject the same Orwell when it comes to a Demmie. The only thing I can come up with in terms of an explanation is: For people who have no moral base, hypocrisy is a meaningless term. The rules are set as they go along. There is no bedrock set of principles. I think this is what Our Lord was thinking of when He talked about building houses on sand.

Posted by: ZRegime at
September 3, 2009 6:33 PM

"I just LOVE it when people like Dave invoke Orwell when it comes to a Reepub and then reject the same Orwell when it comes to a Demmie."

I did this when? Bush should not have spied on Americans in the country without a warrant, and neither should Obama. I have no problem with condemning bad acts, and I haven't been registered as a Democrat a lot longer than not as a Republican. You make a mistake with what I'm saying - I am pointing out how farcical it is only to be concerned about it when it isn't 'your' guy doing it. Or how comical it is when protesters call Obama a dictator, but Crank hasn't had a post on that yet.

I do, however, regularly point out the two new themes of the Republican party. "It's ok when we do it" and "We have no memory of anything greater than 1 year ago". For example, the lack of memory of the 2001 Correspondent's dinner as compared to this past one.

"The rules are set as they go along. There is no bedrock set of principles."
You pro torture ZR? See, I like the rule of law.
Are you pro-using Hitler as a way of demonizing the opposition? I dunno, that just seems wrong to me, first one to invoke Hitler loses the debate.
Are you for or against government involving themselves in medical decisions? See, I'm against that. (bonus - think about what prevents government involvement in medical decisions, not just payment for)
Are you pro-using dictators for national purposes? Every president for well over 50 years has done so, and there is no reason this will change. (see Libya)

I can't remember the last time I read such a bunch of crap. Since when is telling kids to work hard and stay in school so bad? Too many parents aren't doing it themselves. Too many are blaming teachers, administrators and anyone but themselves or their children for their kids' failures and screw-ups.

Have we also forgotten about respecting the office? The leader of our country, arguably the most powerful person in the world, is addressing our children directly. We should tell our children that this is important, just as we should be telling our children that working hard and staying in school is important.

I bet that today MOST schools are in session now. "Buck Futt," you zing him because the south started three weeks ago. Should he have given the speech three weeks ago when most schools weren't in session yet? If he waited until ALL schools are in session, would you have railed him for only thinking of those districts like NY, Boston or LA? I bet so.

Karen, chanting "Teacher, leave those kids alone" is one of the stupidest things I read here. These teachers will be spending more time with these kids than most parents. If teachers left our kids alone, who will teach them anything? Maybe you should home school them, see just how easy teaching is.

Wait, I apologize to you Karen, "Joe Plumbers 4th cousin" takes the cake the the stupidest things I've read here. Anagrams and pooping? "Arab Backed Imposter"? Are you for real? Joe is a prime example of why kids need to work hard and stay in school. You don't want your kids to end up like Joe. I mean, just saying, think about it.

Posted by: Jonathan at
September 8, 2009 4:59 PM

Just because schools in New York have not started does not mean schools across the country have not either. Here in California schools started the Thursday before the holiday. Its funny how people from New York think that the world revolves around them.

Posted by: bryan at
September 11, 2009 1:34 PM

Who said they were not open anywhere? The fact that several of the nation's largest school districts weren't open is embarrassing enough.